The mural shows the work done at at residency with Judy Greenwalds's art classes at Pittston high school. They worked on designing and painting the "Welcome to Pittston" mural overseen by myself and Judy. Judy Greenwald and Clark Riley were on the rooftop of the YMCA handing glued pieces of the mural to me and the mayor of Pittston, Jason Kush which we adhered to the wall. Main Street Pittston, Pennsylvania is on track to have the most original artworks per square foot in the nation according to by past mayor Michael Lombardo. The best picture is to come of the students on the rooftop with their creation as insisted by the overseer of all the great art projects, Rose Pizzuto. It takes a village and there sure were so many people who helped - Hadley construction donated the lift and manpower. Big Thanks to all!

She liked the Vortex painting and the dragonfly painting. She loves nature and is in the field of helping people. She commissioned me to create a painting for her new office. This is what I came up with.

Hardee's is a franchise that requires at least two murals which up until now, were done on the computer and enlarged. Thanks to Jim O'Connell of Resource Media, I was able to paint them. Jim designed the images to represent what it means to live in Wilkes- Barre. He also did final touches once they were hung. The fours colleges: King's, Wilke's, LCCC and Misericordia are depicted as well as the Susquehanna River and lush northeastern Pennsylvania landscape. The historical buildings: The Luzerne County Court House, City Hall, and the Stegmaier Federal Building are just a few of the outstanding structures that grace our city and are shown with kids enjoying the River Commons. Hardee's is located right off of 81 across from TGIF'S and is connected to a gas station all owned by Nick Patel. The comments so far have been so amazed that a Hardee's would have original art. I'm thankful that they do and that I was a part of a new beginning.

The almighty fox took a long gaze my way the other day gingerly sauntering away as my dog, Weez, went bezerk. Animal sightings do not go unnoticed and I immediately look to see what they are telling me. This is what I found.

Seeing the sun through the tunnel of darkness on my walk sends calm and hope to my being. We have our share of gray days here in Northeaster Pa, so when the sun comes out it, everyone want to shout out "Hallelujah!." Hence, the title of this piece - 40" x 40" on charmeuse silk.

There's something about ferns that intrigue me. They seem to be the sort of 'oak tree of plants' with their sturdiness, beauty and quiet strength. These two 30" x 40" acrylic and collage on wood titles 'Verdant 1 and 2' can be seen at Marquis Gallery in Scranton, Pa.

For a couples first anniversary I was commissioned to do a painting that symbolized their love. Years later, after they had breakfast nook completed in their farm house I was asked to paint their kids when toddlers. Their special talents, personalities, birth date and quotes from Mamma all snuck inside a 12" x 12" panel. I smiled the entire time I did them.

This building which used to be both an orphanage and animal shelter got a 'redo'. A contest was held for submissions to create a design which would capture the feeling of warmth and hope. Katie Nork's design won and I was the painter. Truly a group effort. A lot of things need to line up for this sort of thing to come to fruition, the indian summer didn't hurt matters. : )

The Rusty Flack Art Gallery at Wyoming Seminary is pleased to announce that area artist and muralist Leigh Pawling will be featured in the Gallery’s inaugural professional exhibit, running September 1-30. The solo exhibit, titled “Layers of Light: An Exhibit by Leigh Pawling,” will be on display in the Gallery, located in Sem’s Kirby Center for Creative Arts, 260 North Sprague Avenue, Kingston.

The public is invited to meet the artist and view her exhibit during a reception on Friday, Sept. 9 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The exhibit also will be open to the public on September 3, 10, 17 and 24 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

Pawling, of Dallas, has been a painter, muralist and teacher for nearly 25 years and her exuberant, large-scale murals in Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Tunkhannock, Pittston and other areas are well-known. She also has exhibited widely in area galleries in both solo and group shows. A Pennsylvania Rostered Artist, she is a painting instructor for the award-winning prestigious Arts Alive program at Marywood University, held every year in July.

This exhibit will feature 15-20 vibrantly-colored acrylic and mixed media works of various sizes, created since 2008. One highlight of the show will be Pawling’s Life Series, a collection of four large works that shows the evolution of a human being from a single entity in childhood, to “couple hood” and parenthood, and finally at the end of life, alone once again. Other works will depict the human figure, common everyday objects and area landscapes.

The opportunity to feature work of this high caliber as the Flack Gallery’s first professional exhibit is very exciting, says Dan Krueger, Flack Gallery director and director of Sem’s Visual Arts program.

“It is so important for our school to exhibit local professional artists on campus, and very beneficial for our students to see this level of work in person,” he said. “Colleen Ayers, Sem visual arts teacher, and I are both excited about this upcoming exhibition. To offer a show of this quality is a natural extension of our long-standing arts program, which has already seen a number of Sem graduates going on to successful careers in a variety of arts-related fields.”

Here are some snaps from Friday nights exhibit and reception at The Rusty Flack Gallery. Viewers came from all over and I was touched at the time people took to really look at the work. I feel very honored to be the first exhibitor in this beautiful new space. The portrait of Rusty Flack is a reminder of a generous man whose family has done much for our community. The gallery is open Saturdays in September from 1-3 pm or by appointment - contact me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or Julie Strzeletz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
. Thank you.

The last two Fridays I have done a 'Paint and Sip' for Geisinger's fifty-five and olders. It's open to the public, and very well received. These ladies didn't 'sip' much as they were painting away replicating Gustav Klimpt's Apple Tree and the following week Van Gogh's Cypress Tree with Wheat Field. It takes a lot of couraget to do something new. Hats off the the participants!!